Never Forget
by Nereix
Summary: Seven years have passed since Chihiro's visit to the spirit world, but she hasn't seen Haku since. And when she finally meets him, obstacles prove that a simple romance may not be so easy...UPDATED: revised sixth chapter...^^;;
1. Promise

Disclaimer-chan: I don't own Spirited Away, nor do I own Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi; if I did, this little first paragraph would be unnecessary, and if I said I did, all of Walt Disney Studios and Studio Ghibli, including the great Miyazaki Hayao-san, would sue me for everything I have.  Which, considering, isn't much but you know, a girl's gotta have something to buy manga with…

Author's Notes:  This is my first Sen to Chihiro no Kam…..uh.  Okay, this is my first Spirited Away fic…no wait, that's not right either.  Gasp!  This is my first fic ever!  Aah!  Please go easy on me, people!

            I'm writing this fanfic because I just watched this movie for the counts on fingers fourth time: once in Cantonese (which I don't speak more than five words of), once in French (which I don't speak more than two words of), once in English (which I don't speak more than….er, never mind), and finally in Japanese (no subtitles. O.O).  Anyway, after screaming like a lunatic at the television for the fourth time, I realized that all my little heart wanted could be found in fanfiction ^_^  So I found this snug little Sen to Chi….um, Spirited Away section in fanfiction.net, and I decided to submit a little something!  Okay!  Anyway…

Reviews and criticisms are very very welcome.  Flames….yeah, ok.  Just watch out, cuz I've got a lot of little imaginary soot balls, and I'm not afraid of sending them after you. =)

I guess my ranting is done now.  On with the little ficcy…

Never Forget

Chapter One: Promise

by Nereix

_ "Will we meet somewhere again?"_

_"Yes, surely."_

_"Surely?"_

_"Surely!"_

            Ogino Chihiro awoke with a start.

            _Haku__…_

Rolling onto her side, she hugged the blanket around her stomach and took a deep, shaky breath, squeezing her eyes shut.  The twisting feeling in her stomach wouldn't go away.  She missed him.  Seven whole years, and she still missed him.

            _You promised we'd meet.  You promised._

_            Haku no baka!_

The sudden burst of anger quieted her, and she was immediately sorry for her harsh thinking.  She had no right to get mad, did she?  After all, she had never gone back to that world in those last seven years.  She had never gathered up the guts to.  For all Chihiro knew, Haku could by lying down somewhere at that very moment, fuming exactly like she was.  The thought made her chuckle a bit, and she rolled onto her back with a small smile to gaze at the ceiling, darkened with the shadows of night.

            They'd meet.  They had to.  Because she would never forget.

            "Jaa ne, Chihiro-chan!"

            The school bell tolled out cheerfully into the afternoon air, signaling the end of the school day.  Chihiro ran out the gate, waving back at her friends.  "Un!  See you tomorrow!"  Out of habit, she looked around for her father's car until she remembered that it needed repairs that day.  Sighing, she grudgingly started to walk.

            A while later, as she wiped the back of her hand over her forehead, Chihiro thanked all her lucky stars that the school was closer to the house than it was in junior high.  The sun was beating down with exceptional fervor for a spring day, and it was _hot.  The summer afternoons that she'd had to walk home all the way from her old school…Chihiro shook her head to clear the memory.  It was just making her hotter._

            To her left, the forest stretched out serenely.  Chihiro paused.  She hadn't gone to visit the tunnel since half a month ago; end-of-the-term school exams had kept her busy and stressed out enough to not keep her visits as frequent as they used to be.

            Though it had not stopped her from missing Haku during the night.

            …And the shade looked so tempting.

            She walked into the forest, picking her feet along the start of the old, familiar pathway.  The dense treetops offered welcome relief of the sun; sighing in contentment, she fanned the tip of her ponytail against the back of her neck.  She passed the mini-shrines, and the odd rounded statue along the road; before long, she was rounding the curve that led to the long pathway to the tunnel.

            There was someone else standing by the statue.

            Chihiro paused, blinked in surprise; she had never seen anyone else there.  She fought down a sudden and impractical surge of indignation.  The place wasn't hers, it was public property.  Anyone was allowed in.  Still…the intruder was a boy, around her age and wearing her school's uniform.  He had his back turned to her, looking up at the building, his hands by his sides; still, unmoving, with his bag by his feet.

            She entered the little clearing.  He didn't move.  Maybe he didn't hear her?

            Walking up, she tapped him gently on the shoulder.  "Ano…sumimasen?"

            The boy started and turned around.

            Chihiro found herself staring into jade green eyes.

            Her breath caught, and her chest gave a little squeeze.  His hair was shorter—she hadn't recognized it from the back—but it was the same hue of black jade.  His skin was still as pale as hers.  And his eyes…they were the same as she remembered them.  It was him.  It was him.

            She had to fight to get the word out of her throat.

            "Haku…?"

            The boy blinked.

            "I'm sorry.  Do I know you?"

To be continued.

--

I know, I know, the idea's been used over and over…but I really wanted to write it.  I did. =P And I know this is pretty short, but it's truly all my little brain can come up with right now…gomen ne…BTW, I realized when I was editing this that I used more Japanese than I should have, so I changed some stuff.  But I left some because the fic just wasn't the same without it.  In the future I might be using more or less, I really don't know; but if anyone is confused or anything, please let me know and I'll be sure to add a little section at the end with translations.  bows Arigatou gozaimashita, minna-san!  Please review!


	2. Echoes

Disclaimer: Spirited Away and its characters do not belong to me in any way, shape or form.  Please don't sue me because I just ran out of Pocky and I need money to go get more. =)

Never Forget

Chapter 2: Echoes

by Nereix

            "...Kohaku?"

            "Kohaku!  Are you listening to me?"

            The boy jolted out of his reverie, turning around from the scenery to face the middle-aged woman standing behind him, her hands on her hips.  She gave an exasperated sigh as her annoyed features softened into motherly worry.  "Kohaku, you've been acting absentminded ever since we got here."  She felt his forehead.  "Was the car ride too long?  I have some motion sickness medicine in my purse—"

            Kohaku shook his head, giving her his best reassuring smile.  "Uun.  I'm fine, okaa-san."

            _Okaa__-san?___

            The sudden, unreasonable confusion wafted away as quickly as it had come.

            "I was just daydreaming a bit, got carried away.  Sorry for worrying you..."

            "Hai, hai.  Now be a good boy and help otou-san get the boxes back into the car."

            Kohaku looked back across the small highway to his father, who was busy trying to stuff large cardboard boxes into the trunk of a car on the side of the road.  Parked nearby was a large truck whose license plate was bent and neglected on the ground.  Various boxes of different sizes lay scattered about the street.  The reason for his father's apparent irritation was evident, as his much smaller car bore a rather significant dent in front.  A formidable person, he completely dwarfed the nervous man next to him, who was bowing and apologizing profusely.  As Kohaku watched, his father snapped a few choice words at the man and returned to lugging a heavy container, muttering furiously under his breath.  Kohaku suppressed a grin.  "Hai.  He looks like he needs some help."

            Nigihayami Kyoko caught sight of her husband and ran to him.  "Mou, anata, let it be..."

            Kohaku moved to follow her, but, after some hesitation, looked back out to the horizon, eyes searching for a remnant swirl of the..._something...that he had felt.  Stretching out past the railing of the road were hills that calmed into gentle slopes.  On one of them, a line of houses could be seen.  He felt his eyes being drawn to one on the end, a medium-sized residence, painted blue._

            A sudden tide of emotions blinded him.

            A sad smile, flashing before his eyes.

            Yearning...?

            _Will we meet again somewhere?  ...Surely?_

            Bubbles.  Water?  _Ne__, Haku..._

            Purple sparkles.  His world was fogging over.

            —_Now go, and remember, don't look back._

_Don't look ba—_

            "Kohaku!  Hurry up!"  His father's bellow shattered the echoes.

            Blink.  "Hai!"  Shaking his head to clear the last of the fog, Kohaku tucked away the...visions...for later—further—contemplation and went to help with the boxes.

~~~~~

            Clothes in the closet.  Books on the shelf.  Little miscellaneous odds and ends on the desk.  Surrounded by empty cardboard boxes, Kohaku blinked and looked around his new room.  Unpacking had taken less time than he'd thought it would.

            Huh, he mused.  I don't really have that much stuff.

            He glanced at the clock.  In hopes of getting his things unpacked and settled, he had gotten up early, before the alarm even rang.  It was 6:58; there was still time for a quick shower before he had to leave for his first day at his new high school.

            Fifty minutes later, he ran out of the house, school case under his arm, a muttered string of curses effectively muted by the slice of burnt toast clenched between his teeth.  Figures!  Figures he'd fall asleep.  In the shower, no less!

            "Itterasshai!" his mother called from the window.

            His returning "Ittekimasu!" was muffled by the toast, but Kyoko shouted back at him anyway.  "Don't worry about the school, Kohaku!  You'll be just fine!"

            Kohaku looked back to see his mother give him a cheery smile and a thumbs-up.  He couldn't stop his grin then, and he returned the gesture.  Kami-sama, what would he do without his parents?

            Something from the corner of his eye caught his attention.  The house on the end of the row was painted blue.  With a start, he realized that it was the exact same one he had been looking at the previous day.  What do you know, he thought.  Me and...whoever lives there...are neighbors.  And they live in the house that did _that_ to me yesterday...

            Resuming walking, he mulled over it, shaking bread crumbs off his hands.  What _was_ it, anyway?  A dream—did dreams have sounds?  Because he had distinctly heard a voice, a girl's voice.  The exact words escaped his memory at the moment, but it was definitely a girl's voice.  Hallucination?  He shook his head.  Visions, dreams—they belonged in fairy tales, not real life!

            He looked up.  His feet had somehow led him to stand in front of the blue house.

            ......Huh?

            _Will we meet again somewhere?_

            A cold shiver traced itself up his spine.

            _And remember, don't look back._

It echoed.

            _—look back._

_            Look back._

Echo?

            _Look back!_

            The forest was behind him.  He turned around.  What was he looking for?

            In an opening between the trees, there was a small, almost hidden path, barely recognizable as one for all the foliage that grew over it.  Kohaku stared at it, then broke into a run.  For some reason, that path—it was suddenly imperative that he get there, and follow it.  Because something was missing—something really, really important—and that path would help him recover it—

            His feet rustled through tall grasses.  He made an abrupt right turn, following the patches of ground that showed up through the green plants, leading him deeper into the forest.  Piles of mini-shrines passed on his right.  Further down, a strange-looking rounded statue rushed by.  He kept running, and felt himself speeding up.

            The tree root came out of nowhere, though he wouldn't have tripped had it not been for the patch of wet moss.  As it was, his sense of direction violently disoriented itself as the ground came rushing up to meet his head.

            A girl's face, close against his.  Her voice.

            _Yokatta__..._

A cackle.  _Don't look back, boy!_

            White.

            The last thing he saw was his school case, lying at the base of the tree, blurring into a dark smudge that blended into the rest of his vision as everything faded into shadows.

~~~~~~~~~~

........Um.  ^_^;;; The ending surprised me too.  This entire chapter ended up a bit longer than I thought it would be.  I think I really have to get this story together and organize it, or it's gonna go nowhere......

Thank you to everyone who reviewed!  Your words mean so much to me.  I read and treasure every one...what, I'm not pathetic.  Isn't every fanfic author like this??  ^.^;;

Anyway...thank you for reading!  Please review.  Really, it's great encouragement. =)

Arigatou gozaimashita, minna-san! bow


	3. Silence

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away...as if you didn't know that.  Otherwise I wouldn't have to be a fanfiction author ^.^ ohohohoho...

Rant at the end. =)

Never Forget

Chapter 3: Silence

by Nereix

            As the world slowly spun back into focus, Kohaku opened his eyes to find himself lying in the middle of a grassy forest path, blinking in the early afternoon sun that filtered through the trees.

            For a few blank seconds, he had no idea what he was doing there.

            Then everything rushed back in a mad dash that set his head throbbing with the overload of it.  No, that couldn't be it.  He sat up slowly, careful not to move his head too quickly.  Fingers that probed gingerly at the side of his head came back smeared a dark red.  He winced as a wave of fresh pain lanced across his skull.  The offending area had nearly stopped bleeding, but a large bump was doing its best to make its existence known.  In addition, he had gained a number of smaller bumps and bruises on various parts of his anatomy.

            Clumsy idiot! he berated himself.  What is _with_ you today?  And judging by the sun, you missed school altogether!

            His school case was lying a few feet away where he had dropped it.  Reaching in, he fished out his handkerchief and dabbed at the side of his head.  When the bleeding had been reduced to smudges of dark red on the white cloth, he looked around, trying to get his bearings.  Behind him, the path stretched out for a good distance, ultimately curving around to disappear into the trees.  Had he managed to run the entire way?

            With a slight frown, Kohaku turned back around.  He looked up then, and the handkerchief dropped to the grass, momentarily forgotten.

            Looming up over him less than a hundred yards away was a giant wall, its faded bricks overgrown with vines and moss.  Realizing that his mouth was hanging open, he abruptly snapped it shut and picked up his school case, dusting off his handkerchief and doing his best to not jar his head.

            Some minutes later, he was standing before the structure, gazing into darkness.  Leading deep into the interior was a tunnel that seemed to have no end.  No matter how he squinted, he couldn't make out anything on the other side.  Was he supposed to go in?

            Where were those voices when you needed them?

            His head had stopped bleeding.  He stuffed the handkerchief back into his school case and left it at the base of a large moss-covered stone, directly in front of the tunnel.

            Underneath the vines, the bricks were cool to his touch.  Flakes of old paint indicated that the wall was once a bright red color.  How many years of time had passed for the sun to bleach it gray?

            Kohaku ventured inside with some caution.  He didn't have any alternate light source with him, and as the daylight slowly faded to the small circle of the tunnel mouth behind him, he couldn't help an increasing feeling of nervousness.  He couldn't explain it, but the very air seemed to be quivering.  And the light kept dimming.  Soon, there wasn't even enough light for him to make out his hand in front of his face...

            Said hand hit something hard and solid.

            It was another brick wall, though without the dense vines that covered the one outside.  As far as Kohaku could tell, it stretched all the way to the perimeter of the tunnel, blocking the rest of the way.

            Of all the...Now what was he supposed to do?

            With a start, he realized that he was waiting for something—some voices, or visions, or hallucinations or whatever—to show up and answer his question, because they were what had led him here.  But the voices stayed quiet, and he was left with only an empty expectation.  Frustration washed over him.

            The feeling that he was missing something crucial was still there.  Just when he had almost closed his hand over it, he had to take that twice damned fall, and then those thrice damned voices had shut up.  His guide had disappeared, and he was still empty.  Kohaku trudged out of the tunnel to stand next to the stone, glaring up defiantly at the entire construction.

            Why did you bring me here!?

            Silence.  Kohaku was left glowering at a brick wall, filled with an irritating frustration and a heart-tearing yearning that he couldn't even begin to explain.

            Something tapped his shoulder.  "Ano...sumimasen?"

            Kohaku almost jumped in surprise.  He hadn't heard anyone approach him.

            The person was a girl around his age, brown hair pulled back into a simple ponytail.  Her dark eyes widened at the sight of him.  She was pretty, he decided, in a sweet, subtle way.

            Her voice sounded a bit strange: hesitant and hopeful, all at once.  "Haku...?"

            Kohaku blinked.  He hadn't been called 'Haku' since...how many years ago?    
Since he was a child.  And how did she know his name?  She was wearing the uniform of his new school.  Did she look it up or something?  But why 'Haku'?  She didn't look familiar to him at all.

            "I'm sorry.  Do I know you?"

            It was the girl's turn to blink.  "That's not funny, Haku."

            "Uh..."

            She looked confused.  "...It's me.  Chihiro.  You don't recognize me?"

            "I'm sorry.  I...don't know anyone named Chihiro."

            The girl took a step back.  "Huh?  But...it's you.  You're Haku.  Why..."

            "My name is Nigihayami Kohaku," he said cautiously; the girl—Chihiro—looked so hurt.  "I'm a transfer student, but I haven't been to the school yet.  Are you sure you have the right person?"

            A myriad of emotions crossed the girl's face, too quickly for Kohaku to divine.  She finally took a deep breath, whispered "I'm sorry," and ran.

            Kohaku stared after her, unable to shake the feeling that he had just done something terrible.

To be continued.

----------------

Yes, yes, another short chapter, and kind of pointless too...gomen, gomen. ^_^;;  At least it's not so much of a cliffhanger as the other two were, ne?

In any case, I am very pleased to announce that I did a bit of research and have managed to work out a rough timeline that this story will (hopefully) be following.  It's not gonna speed up updates, sorry, but at least the story is, believe it or not, going to go somewhere, ne? ^_-

This chapter took a while to finish.  I got stuck for a bit until I worked something out (added some detail at the end of chapter 2!!)  Plus I wanted to work on my other Rayearth fic, which no one is reading cries  There was also the fact that I did the draft while I was half asleep, and when I edited it I practically had to rewrite the whole thing ^_^;;  Gomen ne, I'm something of a perfectionist.  Usually if I don't like what I write, I end up either doing a major rewrite or discarding the entire thing.  I'm moderately satisfied with this one...hehe.  I'll try to keep edits down to a minimum, but sometimes I just can't help myself. -_-;;

By the way, I tried drawing Haku with short hair, and it came out funny.  His hair is really fine and like a girl's, so it's meant to be longer.  But when I tried drawing a modern version of that, he ended up looking exactly like Touya Akira from Hikaru no Go!!  Gah...I must be a terrible artist.

Wow, this rant has stretched out pretty long.  I'll end your torture here. =)  Please review!  I love my reviewers, all seven of them! =D

bows Minna-san, arigatou gozaimashita!


	4. Egao

Disclaimer:  Spirited Away is owned by Miyazaki Hayao-san and all the rest of his wonderful wonderful Studio Ghibli.  This work of fanfiction only...borrows...it (ehehe) and is for entertainment purposes only.  I'm not making any money out of this (or anything else) so suing me would be pointless because, believe me, you won't get much. =)

Happy birthday to me! X)  Ha!  ^_^v I am now sixteen, and under federal law I am now allowed to...um.  I'm too chicken to try to drive yet...hm...clears throat Well, anyway, my birthday was actually yesterday, but I wrote most of this chapter yesterday anyway, so...=P  Oh, and I got a big bunch of birthday balloons!  Those big helium ones!  Arigatou nee-chan!  THEY'RE SO BOUNCY!!!  XD  (Please excuse my hyper-ness.  I've had more sugar this morning than is strictly healthy.)  Anyway, as a present to all of you, I am updating with what is undoubtedly my longest chapter so far. ^_^  Enjoy! goes back to playing with her balloons__

Never Forget

Chapter 4: Egao (Smiling Face)

by Nereix

She couldn't close her ears.

            "Ne, ne!  Have you seen the new transfer student?"

            "Un!  He's _gorgeous!"_

            "Who?  What transfer student?"

            "Eehh!?  Aki-chan, you haven't seen Nigihayami-senpai!?"

            Chihiro winced, putting her head down on her desk and doing her best to ignore her classmates' conversation.

            "Etto..."

            "No way!  He's got homeroom right now upstairs!  Come with me!!"

            "Eh—Nao-chan!  Slow down!  ...Hey!  Matte—————!!"

            "Sagamura!  Tonoyuki!  Where do you two think you're going!?"

            "Gomen nasai, Souyama-sensei, I think they're gone..."

            The school had been bursting with whispers ever since the tall third-year had transferred in from Tokyo.  The teachers liked him for his studious habits and polite manner.  The boys liked him for his skill on the soccer and kendo teams.  The girls liked him for...uh, they just liked him, and let's leave it at that.

            Chihiro avoided him.

            Day after day, his words reverberated through her head—repeats of a voice she desperately didn't want to hear.

            _I'm sorry.  I don't know anyone named Chihiro._

            She buried her head further into her arms and clenched her fists, gritting her teeth.

            Go away.

            Leave me alone.  You don't know me, so stop taunting me and go away...

            _Are you sure you have the right person?_

            Go away...

            She wanted to cry.

                                                            __________________________

The crowd gasped "Oh!" as Kuraya sent the ball heading in his general direction as a black-and-white blur.  Kohaku dodged around a member of the opposing team and darted towards it, mentally calculating his angle.  It was a tricky shot.  Someone in the stands shouted, "Ganbatte, Nigihayami-senpai!"

            He nailed it.  The goalie didn't even have time to react as the ball was sent spinning into the net behind him.

            Cheers of "Nigihayami!  Nigihayami!" and the occasional "Kyaa!" erupted from the stands.  Their school had once again managed to defend their position as first in the Yamanashi prefecture.  The commentator was shouting as loudly as the rest of them, screaming into the microphone, "And with that one last goal, the score is settled!  The home team wins, thanks to our star player, Yamanashi no Ryuu, Nigihayami Kohaku!!"

            "Nice shot!"

            Kohaku grinned and accepted the towel his best friend thrust at him on their way to the locker rooms.  "Pft!  No thanks to you, Sou!  What did you think you were doing, aiming at the opposite team's players like that?"

            Kuraya Souichi gave his friend his best innocent expression.  "Who, me?  Would I do that?"  At Kohaku's dry look, he clapped him on the back, chuckling.  "Come on, you know I only make things harder for you because I care..."

            "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, twisting open a water bottle.

            "Aw, Haku-chan's so mean!"

           Kohaku choked on his water.  "...'Rusee!"  Ever since he had mentioned his encounter with the girl next to the tunnel, Souichi hadn't gotten off his back about it.

            Souichi grinned.  It was so easy to bait him.  The novelty never wore off.  "You know, though," he started a tad more seriously, rummaging through his locker.  "Ogino-san's in my Literature class, and..."

            "Your Lit class?" Kohaku cut him off.  "But she's only..."

            "Aha!" Souichi interrupted in turn, his eyes glinting with mischief, "Haku did a little research about his secret admirer, did he?"  At the other boy's furious blush, he continued, "She's a second-year, yeah, but she's taking some advanced classes.  I was saying, she seems like a nice girl."

            "Your point being?"

            Souichi threw a towel over his shoulder, grinning.  "My point being, I think I'll ask her out."

            Kohaku stared at him.

            Souichi grinned and winked, stepping backwards into the shower room.  "So you'd better act fast, dragon boy, or I'll beat you to it."

            He had already well disappeared by the time Kohaku regained command over his voice and managed to stutter out one brilliant, ingenious word.

            "What!?"

                                                            __________________________

The ending bell rang out, causing Chihiro to jump.  She'd started to doze off.  Tiredly, she rubbed her eyes and stretched, trying to ease the stress that had lately settled onto her shoulders and lower backbone.  Once again, she hadn't had enough sleep...

            She bit her lip.  _I should just stop thinking about him.  At this rate, it's really gonna really affect my schoolwork..._  With a sigh, she zipped closed her pencil bag, threw it in her school case, and headed for the door of the classroom.

            "Ogino-san!"

            Chihiro looked around to see the older boy jog up to her.  "Kuraya-senpai, what is it?"

            He gave her a friendly smile.  "Are you busy this afternoon?"

                                                            __________________________

Chihiro walked through the halls, bag slung over her shoulder, looking intently at the rooms to either side of her.  _Dance studio, dance studio..._

            Firmly held in her hand was a plain white envelope.  She blew a lock of hair out of her eyes.  _Why am I playing messenger anyway?_

            _"Are you busy this afternoon?"_

_            "Iie..."_

_            "Can you do me a favor, then?"  He took out an envelope.  "I was supposed to deliver this to someone, but I'm afraid I can't make it today.  He's in the dance studio after school until six.  Do you think you can take it to him for me?"_

_            "Um, sure, but..."_

_            "Ah, yokatta!  Thank you very much!  I really appreciate it!  See you tomorrow!"_

_            "...um, why me...?"  She found herself talking to air, as he had already run off.  Chihiro was left standing at the doorway of the empty classroom, envelope in hand, feeling a bit confused._

            She made a right turn.  _Weird guy...  The dance studio was to her left.  Through the glass panes on the door, she could make out a lone figure on the far side of the mirrored room, smoothly executing a pattern dance with a bokken._

            The door emitted a slight creak as she pushed it open.  He looked up, and she stopped short.

            Kohaku felt his face grow slightly warm and forced down the blush.  Noting her surprised expression, he straightened up from his semi-crouch.  "Um...Ogino Chihiro-san, right...?"

            Chihiro blinked.   "Ah...hai.  Um, sorry for interrupting you, but Kuraya-senpai said to give this to you..."  She trotted over and handed him the envelope, trying to keep her expression blank as his fingers brushed hers.

            "Oh."  The bokken was hurriedly placed on the floor.  "Thank you."

            He tore open the envelope and fished out the folded paper inside.  Why would Souichi send him a letter?

            His eyes widened as they fell on the three inked words, neatly written in slanted handwriting.

                                                            _You owe me. =)_

            Chihiro fidgeted.  She took a deep breath.  "Well, I should be going..."

            "Chihiro!" he blurted out, then mentally kicked himself as she froze again.  "I—I mean, I'm sorry—Ogino-san...um, about the other day, I want to apologize...so..."  He bowed.  "Sumimasen!"

            Surprised, she turned back.  "Ah, d-don't!"  She hurried to push him back up until she was looking up at his usual height. "Don't apologize!  You didn't do anything wrong.  It was my fault, I mistook you for someone else..."  Chihiro belated realized that her hands were still on his shoulders, and she snatched them back, turning slightly red as she looked away.  Kohaku swallowed hard and looked down at his sock-clad feet.

            "Ano..." he said, after a moment.  "Maybe...we just started off on the wrong foot the other day."  He turned to her and bowed, offering a slightly apologetic smile.  "My name is Nigihayami Kohaku.  Pleased to meet you."

            Chihiro's eyes softened and she bowed in turn.  "Ogino Chihiro desu."  She looked up and gave him a warm smile.  "Yoroshiku ne!"

            Dimly, Kohaku noted that it was the first time he had seen her smile.  But that detail was tucked away for later comprehension, because at the moment, something in her eyes, sparkling out at him, rendered him completely breathless.

                                                            __________________________

Somewhere, _very far away..._

           The luminescent crystal sphere gave one last flicker and died, the fragile figures shown inside blinking out of existence.  As her thin line of concentration snapped, she couldn't help the low growl at the back of her throat.

            Wrinkled hands hovered over the misty crystal, passing over the surface, encouraging the magic motes to gather up again.  They hadn't so much as started to clump together when they suddenly exploded with a sharp _ping_, fragments dissipating into the air.  Curse that meddling sister of hers!

            Zeniiba clomped grumpily to the window, pulling back the curtains and staring past her lucent reflection into the night.  Seven years.  Her interfering, stubborn witch of a sister had managed to delay those two's meeting for _seven years_.  Sure, it was all up to chance.  Of course, it was inevitable that it would take a while.  But those two shared a bond that automatically drew them to each other.

            ...Even if one of them didn't remember it.

            She'd worked on that too.  She could swear that she had found every single frailty, every single tatter in the net that kept the two worlds apart, and forced her magic through them.  It worked to both her advantage and her disadvantage that Memory was the easiest of all elements to manipulate.  It meant that she had an easier time gaining a foothold, but it also meant that it was nearly just as easy for her twin sister to throw her down.  That last time, she had thought that she'd finally had him.  But then Yubaba had done a quick-edit to the forest floor and then twisted his balance.  That hit to his head erased an entire day's worth of Zeniiba's work.

            A day.  It was three months in a human's life.  And those seven years...

            She caught herself biting her nail and forced herself to stop.  Apparently, the nasty-tasting nail polish did nothing to deter her when she was stressed.

            There wasn't near enough time on her side of the planet.  Those poor children had a hard ordeal ahead of them.

            _Yappari__, the trickiest and most unpredictable element has always been Time..._

__________________________

See!  That was long, yes!  And I'm about to make it even longer by responding to all my reviews ^_^  Look for your name!

Jenn – Your review encouraged me to keep writing.  Thank you, and I hope these new chapters do justice to your words.

Mika – Sorry for the cliffhanger ^_^ I'll try to cut down on them, but they really are fun to write (gomen, gomen!)

smart89 – Thank you!  I hope you enjoy!

Fhulhi the Crazy – Hehe.  Your review was the bright point of my day.  Well, here's the 'more' you were asking for ^_^

miwata – Yes, I continue!  For as long as my muse holds out. =)

Yashira – Here's an extra long chapter for you =D

Death Angels – Thank you for reviewing!  Please enjoy the updates =)

~Emerald*Lion~ – Thank you for reviewing sessha's story ^_^

Escance – I completely agree with you!  I love this movie!  I keep placing holds on it in the public library ^_^

Kalyana – Oh wow. blushes You're gonna give me a swelled head.  I really hope my writing lives up to your reviews.  Heartfelt thanks!

Thank you for reading, everyone!  Please make me a very very happy little bunny and click on that little button below.  You know which one ^_-

bows Minna, arigatou gozaimasu!!


	5. Blood

I'M ALIVE!!!!!

Why did this take so long?  I'll let you read the chapter first.  Another long one to make it up to all of you ;).  Long rant at the end.

Disclaimer: Spirited Away = not mine.  Spirited Away = never mine.  You sue = you get rabbit that is currently undergoing its every-three-months crazy shedding period because he's all I've got.  And some empty Pocky boxes.  Money?  What money?

Warning: The following chapter may be a little....er, violent.  Injury-wise.  I don't think it's enough to raise the rating because there aren't many details, but that's just my opinion...so don't say I didn't warn you ^_^;;

Never Forget

Chapter 5: Blood

by Nereix

Chihiro dropped her school case on a chair and fell backwards onto her bed, a happy sigh escaping her lips.  Her face felt as if it would split in half, she had been smiling so hard the entire afternoon.  She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lower lip, unable to hold back an excited squeal.

            He had looked so adorable.  His face was showing a hint of a blush, and his eyes didn't seem to want to meet hers.  He had looked down at his shoes, scuffing at the sidewalk; bit his lip; and then he had squeezed his eyes shut, turned bright red, and blurted out:

            _If you're not busy, do you want to do something this Sunday?_

            Chihiro suppressed another joyful squeak.  Turning on her side, she gazed at the far wall of her room.  _I'm okay with it, she realized._  It's really okay if he doesn't remember.  It doesn't seem so important now.  Because...when I'm together with him, no matter where or what, he still gives me the feeling that everything will turn out all right...__

            Even her large load of homework didn't get her down.  That night, she fell asleep with a dreamy smile.

                                                            =====================

Zeniiba's lined face, illuminated by the glow of her scrying crystal, was smugly satisfied.  Not only had she finally gotten them to meet, but the two were getting along better than well.  Apparently, even Yubaaba couldn't tamper with genuine attraction.

            The reflection of Chihiro, sound asleep in her bed, flickered.  Zeniiba's smile faltered, just a bit, before she reinforced her connection channel with an extra layer of magic.  The image stilled, wavered, blurred into a dark blue smudge, and blinked out.  Before her eyes, the entire clouded orb cracked down the middle and shattered into pieces, fragments of the crystal scattering around her table and splashing into her tea.  It was then that Zeniiba's usually placid temper reared its ugly side.

            "Oh, no," she muttered.  "She did _not just do that."  She was well aware that Yubaaba considered the entire thing a game.  Fooling with the magic motes, interfering with the connection channel—they were all strains of their never-ending rivalry for the upper hand over the other.  But __this was taking it much too far.  Zeniiba peered into her teacup.  The contents were saturated with magic dust.  What a waste!_

            She stood up abruptly.  "Kaonashi-kun, can you look after the place while I'm gone?"

            The faceless creature looked up from where he was spinning thread.  "Uh, uh?"

            Zeniiba's mouth was set in a grim, determined line.  "To see my sister."

                                                            =====================

"I'm sorry!  Were you waiting long?"

            Kohaku turned around, his face lighting up at the sight of the girl behind him.  "No, not at all!"  In truth, due to a sudden anxiety attack in the early hours of the morning, he had reached their meeting place well over twenty minutes early and had been waiting for nearly half and hour.  But seeing her, brown hair pulled back into her usual ponytail, simple pastel t-shirt bringing out the color in her cheeks—and he felt that he could wait years and not complain a word.

            He still couldn't really believe that she'd said yes.

            Ever since that day in the dance studio, they would keep bumping into each other everywhere.  They'd see each other in the halls, or run into each other at the grocery store—and every time, just talking to her and being around her felt so natural, as if they'd known each other for years.  And she'd smile—and his heart would skip a beat, and his breath would catch.

            Kohaku had never considered himself a romantic, but if love at first sight existed, he was pretty sure that it would have felt something like his past week.

            He gestured behind him.  "The movie's starting in ten minutes.  Shall we go?"

            "Un!"

            Her smile again.  As they entered the theater, Kohaku was very aware that he was grinning foolishly, and also very aware that he didn't mind a bit.

                                                            =====================

Yubaaba flicked her eyes up from her papers to see her own face glaring at her.  "I'm supposing that I know what this visit is about?"

            Zeniiba's eyes narrowed.  "...You aren't obstinate enough for that to have been over the loss of one apprentice."

            Yubaaba chose to stay silent, regarding her with calculating eyes.

                                                            =====================

Chihiro blinked at the sudden transition from dark to bright.  She rubbed her eyes, trying to get accustomed to the brilliance of the wide hallway outside the theater.  Next to her, Kohaku stretched and linked his fingers together to rest behind his head.  He smiled down at her.  "Liked the movie?"

            "Un!  It was a lot more different from the manga than I had expected."

            "Yeah, the manga really went much further into it.  I still prefer that, even with the black-and-white pages..."

            "The music was beautiful though," said Chihiro softly.  "And the artwork was wonderful!  The details in the cave, and the colors!  The movie itself is very old, right?"

            Kohaku nodded.  "Aa.  I was surprised you hadn't seen it yet.  We're lucky they decided to bring it out to the theaters for today."

            Chihiro laughed.  "Nothing like Miyazaki's work on a giant screen, ne..."  She was interrupted by the sound of a stomach growling.

            Kohaku turned red.  "Uh...feel like lunch?"

            She gave him a bright smile.  "I'm starving!"

                                                            =====================

            Yubaaba whirled around, fixing a fierce gaze on her twin.  The flames of the fireplace behind her cast harsh shadows on her face, turning even the gentlest wrinkles into heavy, sinister creases.  "You really don't see it, do you?" she accused from behind clenched teeth.

            "See what?"

            Yubaaba's expression was torn between a grimace and a smirk.  "What a surprise.  You really haven't noticed it at all.  And here I thought you were just acting stupid..."

            A soft growl rose in Zeniiba's throat.  Once again, the only person who could really irritate her was her own sister.

            Yubaaba stopped baiting her.  "There's a power rising up on the human side of reality," she explained in a business-like tone, flicking a heavily-ringed finger at the door to lock it.  "I don't know exactly what it is, but I've kept it dormant for a while, and recently it's started to wake up again."  She fished out a cigarette out of her desk drawer.

            "Recently," Zeniiba repeated.

            Yubaaba shot her a sudden, hate-laden glare.  "Yes, recently," she almost snarled.  "Approximately two hours.  _A week in the human world."_

            Something in Zeniiba's mind clicked.

            "That power," Yubaaba gritted out, "is about to tear apart the balances within the barrier.  The relationship between the human and the spirit worlds is going to crumble out of order.  And"—her voice became coldly furious—"those two are right in the middle of it."

                                                            =====================

"There it is," said Kohaku, pointing across the vehicle-filled street to a small sushi restaurant.  He glanced at the end of the block, where the light had just turned red.  "It's okay, we can go."

            The cars were immobile, stuck in slow-moving traffic.  As they weaved through them, Kohaku realized that the back pocket of his jeans was curiously light and turned around, scanning the ground.  "You go ahead, I dropped my wallet..."

            "Be careful!" Chihiro called after him.

                                                            =====================

Yubaaba seemed to have calmed down, sitting at her desk and lighting her cigarette.  She took a long drag and slowly exhaled, the wispy smoke curling around her face.  "Fortunately," she said coolly, "I've set up something to take care of it."

            Zeniiba's eyes drifted to Yubaaba's crystal ball, sitting innocently on the desk, and widened in horrified realization.

                                                            =====================

Things happened too quickly for Kohaku to make much sense of it.

            He had bent down to reach for his wallet.  Then the earsplitting screech of a nearby vehicle nearly deafened him.  As his head jerked up, eyes wide, and saw the solid front of a truck bearing down at him, he tried to scramble out of the way—but there was another car in back of him, and he was in an unprepared position, and the truck was moving too fast—and it was already too late.

            Cold iron wrapped itself around Chihiro's heart and squeezed.

            The truck moved backwards.  Kohaku collapsed.

            And she was by his side and on her knees, crying his name, clutching at his clothing, cradling his face.  His face was so pale.  His hands were so cold.  Tears and shock were half-blinding her.

            Spreading out, bleeding into the ground, soaking into her jeans: crimson.

            There was blood on her hands.

            No.  No—

            Her vision shifted.  Bare arms were replaced with soft coral-hued material.  Rough, dark lines of black-red on her palm.  And fear...fear...

            Blood: on her hands, on his ashen face; staining his lips, outlining a scarlet arc to his chin.  His shirt was soaked with it.  And visible through numerous rips in the cloth, his chest—his chest was—

            Her pupils contracted in terror.

            No.

            Oh, god, no.  No.  Don't do this to me...She couldn't find a pulse.  No.  No...

            A twisted, choked animal sound.  It took Chihiro a while to realize that it was coming from her own throat.  Her cheeks were wet with tears.

            In the distance, the blaring siren of an ambulance.  Hands were tugging at her, trying to pull her away from him.  But she couldn't leave, he'd die, he'd die—his eyes were so empty—was she screaming?  She couldn't tell.  Oh, god, Kohaku, wake up.  Wake up.  Baka, you can't do this to me, wake up...

            He didn't answer.  Didn't move.

            No.  No.  No._  No.  No.  No.  No.  No.  No.  No_———————

            Black.

                                                            =====================

Yubaaba jerked bolt upright, staring at the crystal with an expression of shocked fury.

            "That girl," she hissed.  "That girl!  What did she do!?  _What did she just do!?_"

—tsuzuku.

                                                            =====================

...Gomen, but...can you say cliffhanger? ^^;;

I don't know whether I should be laughing in triumph for finally finishing this chapter or apologizing profusely for leaving you with this...eh, gomen, gomen ^^;;

This thing took a long time because my muse eloped with my inspiration, leaving me with three paragraphs and nothing else.  So I decided to do the obvious thing, and procrastinated; namely, reread my Recca no Honou manga ^_^.  (And you know, it took a shorter time to finish than the first time around...probably because the cries of "What??!  Nooo!!" no longer pop up. =P  Those of you who have read this manga series, I need only to say one word and you'll probably know exactly what I'm talking about: Joker. =(  Him and Raiha were my favorite characters...sniff Those who have been unfortunate enough to not read this, read it!! _  It's been licensed, so it'll be in English soon...)

Hm.  That was a long paragraph on something that had nothing whatsoever to do with this fic...sweatdrop In any case, when I dragged my muse and inspiration back, they got mad at me, so I think I tried a bit too hard on this one...hope the writing isn't strained in places...=P bravely suppresses an urge to rewrite the entire thing ahem...

Kudos to anyone who can guess what movie they were watching, btw ^_-

And!  Once again, I want to thank aaaaall my reviewers!  I love you guys!  Individual responses below. =)

Frying Pan of DOOM – Thank you! ^_^  I know!  I love that scene! (btw, I love your pen name...burst out laughing...hehe...Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest, right?)

Melodylink – Thank you for your kind review!  This story will be nice and long, I promise ^_-  As long as my muse can endure!  grabs muse by back of collar as it tries to run ...Er, my birthday was on the 25th but I actually have a friend whose birthday was on the 13th!  It really is a small world!

Anime Fan26 – Thank you, and enjoy the chapter =)

Jenn – I'm very glad you like it ^_^  Thank you so much for reviewing!  It's so pleasant to read your reviews, you're always so nice... ^_^

FluffyLuver4Eva – I really like Inu-Yasha, but I'm afraid I haven't read or watched Yu Yu Hakusho at all, though I heard it was good ^_^;;  Thank you for reviewing!

MysticAngel4 – Yeah, I'd probably go crazy too.  But I guess this chapter made it even worse for Chihiro then...gomen, gomen ^_^;;  Thank you!

DizAznAngel – Thank you ^_^  Here's the update!

Escance – I want to put Souichi more into the story, I really like him too! ^_^  But my little brain can't figure out how ^^;;  Thank you for reviewing, and let's hope that Souichi gets more lines...^_^

Questions?  Comments?  Or, god forbid, flames...? looks nervous  Review!  Review!  It makes me very very very happy and hyper ^_^  All you have to do is click that little button below...thaaaat's it...^_-

bows Minna-san, arigatou gozaimaaaasu!


	6. Memory

(Final) final word count: 3,800+ words!!  Longest chapter ever!!! XD

Disclaimer: If I owned the rights to this movie, or its characters, or even my own copy, do you think I'd have to keep placing holds on it in the library!?  My point is, Spirited Away is not mine, so if you sue me you're not gonna get it from me.  ...And I sincerely hope that just made sense.

Never Forget

Chapter Six: Memory

by Nereix

Both of them felt it.  A blink, a slight disorientation; their world faltered for a nearly imperceptible fraction of a second before continuing on obliviously.

            Yubaaba eyes were wide and bloodshot, her breath deliberately controlled, her voice low and harsh with barely restrained wrath.

            "That girl...that girl!  What did she do!?  _What did she just do!?_"

Silence.

            Chihiro was floating, drifting through the stark blackness of eternity.  It was so cold.  Surrounding her on all sides, empty and blank, was darkness.  Exhaustion settled over her like a blanket of immobility, seeping into her limbs, until she had to remind herself to breathe.  Her mind was moving sluggishly, thoughts grabbed up and eaten by the black depths that she could only stare into, too tired to reach out with her bloodstained hands to retrieve them.

            Kohaku was dead.

            But her emotions weren't moving.  They had frozen over; there was a void replacing her soul.  Fear was absent.  Sorrow was nonexistent, even for the blood-soaked, pitifully lifeless body she held in her crimson-streaked arms.  She could feel her movements slowing, her breath freezing over; but it was fine, she was so tired, she just wanted to sleep...For the sake of the sentiment she couldn't grasp, she hugged the body a bit closer, allowing her eyes to drift shut.  Coaxed by the motion and the lack of gravity, his hair brushed against her face, enticing; like the touch of silk.

            Unbidden, tears crept their way through closed eyelids and streaked down, tracing a warm path to her chin.

            No, she didn't want to cry...she'd sworn she wouldn't cry...

Chihiro had cried, seven years ago, when she returned to a reality that left no room for faith in magic or spirits, particularly river spirits that took on the forms of dragons and came visiting to sweep you away.  She had been only a little girl then, ten years old and still naïve, bawling over her own dashed dreams when she was forced to conform to a world that wouldn't accept her for what she believed in.

            _Honestly, Yuuko, that daughter of yours..._

_            Ogino-san, I would like to talk to you about Chihiro's relations with her peers..._

_            Hey, it's the spirit girl!  Haha, better be nice to her or her dragon boyfriend's gonna come getcha!  Bii, crazy girl, crazy girl..._

_            Chihiro!  What have I told you about lying!?  Your homeroom teacher called me again today..._

_            Spirit girl, crazy girl, go fly back to where you came from..._

            She had learned quickly and the hard way, from experience.  Several lost friends and a few elementary schoolyard fights had taught her to keep her mouth shut.  Most of the qualities she had learned in the Spirit World—forwardness, courage, speaking her mind—did her no good in the reality she was in.  Only the strengthening of her will helped her, because it kept her from crying; and when she didn't cry, they left her alone.

            She'd endured it for a year before it all amounted to too much.  In the end, surrounded and restricted by walls on all sides but one, she turned back around and ran.

            She had tried not to cry, as her feet pounded through the forest path, kicking up dust that was instantly muted by the mist of the rain.  The cold downpour soaked right through her thin, oversized t-shirt, but she didn't care.  Anger, restraint, frustration, had shifted; beneath them was left an underlying conviction, backed by her stubbornness—that she could get away from it all.

            Faded red brick wall, shaded gray by the night.  The tunnel—Haku—

            The rhythm of the raindrops on her back was replaced by darkness, pressing down on her from all sides.  She didn't pause, concentrating only on the dull thuds of her sneakers against the hard soil beneath her feet.  If she kept running, she'd get to see Haku again—

            Hard, brick wall, crashing against her shoulder.  Her voice shrieked out in pain, echoing hollowly in the tunnel.  She collapsed against the wall, drawing breath in short gasps, gritting her teeth against the waves of pain that stabbed through her right arm.  A brick _wall?_

            She pulled herself up, digging the fingers of her left hand into the ridges between the bricks.  With smarting fingers, she felt around in the darkness, blindly reaching up as high as she could reach.  The wall seemed to stretch up forever.  It was in the way.  She couldn't get past it.

            No...

            Losing control, she slid down to her knees, tears streaming freely down her cheeks, grasping futilely for a handhold on the rough brick, and screamed.

            Swiftly, the shadows rose up and enveloped her.  They offered no resistance to her panicked motions, but neither did they give away to light.  As her movements weakened and her cries faded even from her own ringing ears, Chihiro felt so tired—tired, and cold, in the endless blackness—

            _I shouldn't have even come here—_

            And then, before her, the darkness tore open with a roar; and a bright twisting shape, glittering with a light that seemed to come from within it, darted towards her.  She caught a glimpse of iridescent scales and unfathomable emerald-green eyes that locked with her own, before it turned away and disappeared, leaving her alone, reaching out her hand to the empty night air in front of her own blue-painted house.__

Chihiro opened her eyes, ignoring her tears.  Her memories were overlapping.

            That night, eleven years old, she had resolved to go back to the Spirit World.  But in the midst of sneaking out, her mother had woken up and caught her.  Her resulting punishment—grounded for a month—had been enough to convince her to miserably give up the idea of running away.  So in the end, she never went back to the tunnel.

            Yet...she now distinctly remembered running through the rain, reaching the gaping mouth; finding the brick wall, and the darkness, and the light.  It was bewildering, and confusing to have memories of two entirely different things that she had apparently done at the same time.

            That night, what had really happened?

            ...But now, Chihiro realized, she wasn't tired anymore.  The memories were inside her, warm and comfortable inside her heart: fueling her, so she could move and breathe and live.  And as her thoughts collected, so did her emotions.

           She looked down at Kohaku, drifting motionless in her arms, and let out her breath in a painful, wonderful, half-laugh, half-sob.

            Burying her face in his hair, Chihiro held him close.  _Come back to me, Kohaku.  Don't die, don't hurt, don't leave.  I won't give you up..._

            She was whispering it, lips moving against his hair, her last tears dropping among the dark strands.  Aware of her heart beating firmly within her own chest, she offered up the words like a prayer.  Come back to me.

            Another heartbeat joined hers.

            Slowly, the blood streaks on her hands faded.  The stains on her clothing lightened and disappeared.  Little by little, warmth was suffusing through the body in her arms.

            Come back to me—Kohaku...

            He began to breathe.

            Chihiro smiled through tears that welled up in joy.  Hugging him tightly, feeling his warmth, she laid her head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent.  He smelled of the sky: the mixture of the sun's bright rays and the calm drifting clouds, and the unmistakable fresh, clear feeling of a young river.  She held him close as the darkness scattered into light, and the warmth glittered around them, and the gentle radiance led them back home.

The two sorceress twins watched the events unfold within the crystal orb in stunned silence.

            The truck was heading straight for the boy.  But Chihiro shouted a warning as soon as the truck's tampered mechanisms went out of control—giving Haku just enough time to scuttle out of the way.  The front corner of the vehicle collided with his left shoulder, causing him to fall over on the side of the street; but he was unquestionably alive.

            Yubaaba's eyes narrowed.  "I am a fool," she muttered, resetting the connection with a curt gesture of her hand.  The image scrambled, then settled into blurry, rapid movement as the input-output returned to its usual time-lapse ratio.  "It was the girl all along..."

            Standing before the desk, Zeniiba struggled to get her own thoughts in order.  What she had just seen was...impossible.  Chihiro was a human girl.  Even by divine standards, this kind of use of power was rare.  That one human could do...this...

            If she didn't know any better, she would call it time manipulation.

            But that wasn't possible...

Kuraya Souichi took another look at the other boy, sitting on the edge of the cot with a bandaged head and an arm in a sling, and sighed in exaggerated exasperation.  "You know, I leave you alone for one day and you go and get hit by a truck.  Honestly, when a big car is going towards you, you're supposed to _run away_."

            Kohaku blew a lock of hair out of his eyes.  "Of course," he said politely.  "Just like when a soccer ball is going towards your head, you're supposed to duck."

            Souichi laughed, rubbing his head a bit ruefully at the memory.  "Alright, you win.  Looks like neither of us are too smart, huh..."  His expression grew more serious.  "But hey, you're really okay, right?"

            Kohaku looked up.  "Huh?"

            "I mean...you know...six years ago."

            Gingerly moving his arm to a more comfortable position, Kohaku paused and bit his lip before answering.  "...Yeah.  I've only been here two days, so it's not—"

            The door opened and Chihiro entered the hospital room, carefully carrying two cans of warm coffee.  "Konnichiwa, Kohaku!  They were out of decaf, so—ah, Kuraya-senpai, konnichiwa!"

            "Konnichiwa, Ogino-san.  So you're looking after this thick-headed idiot, huh?"

            Chihiro raised her eyebrows, handing Kohaku his coffee.  "Thick-headed?  Getting hit by a truck like that, I'm certainly relieved that his skull is so hard to break."

            Kohaku grumbled.  "What, you're _both against me now?"_

            "Sorry, Kuraya-senpai, I didn't know you were here so I didn't get you a coffee."

            Souichi dismissed it with a quick smile and a wave of his hand, standing up and hoisting his bag to his shoulder.  "Iie, I gotta leave now anyway.  There's a test tomorrow that I really shouldn't fail.  Dewa, Ogino-san, I'll see you in class.  Kohaku, take care of yourself, man."

            "Un, mata ne."

            "See you tomorrow," Kohaku called after him.

            As his footsteps retreated down the hall, Chihiro sipped at her coffee.  "How's your shoulder?"

            Kohaku gave her a wry grin.  "Numb, as usual.  I seriously think they're overdoing the painkillers."

            Chihiro laughed and then quieted into a soft smile, both hands cradling the coffee on her lap.  "I'm really glad they're letting you out today."

            "Aa.  Me too."

            Chihiro caught the terse edge in his voice and looked up, surprised.  "...What do you mean?"

            Kohaku flushed a bit.  "Oh, um.  Sorry.  I...it's just..."  He hesitated, and finally confessed, "I'm uncomfortable in hospitals."  Avoiding Chihiro's eyes, he continued on.  "Before my family moved to Tokyo, we lived here, in the same house we live in now.  Around the middle of August six years ago, when I was twelve, I got in an accident near the forest."

            Chihiro started.  He didn't notice.

            "When my parents found me, I was...pretty much half-dead...It was four months before the hospital let me out.  I was wounded, and feverish..."  He looked down at his coffee.  "We don't know what happened.  The way my parents try to avoid the topic, it must have been serious, but...I don't remember it.  The doctors say I may have shock-induced amnesia."  He hunched his shoulders.  "So I don't have any memories of before I was twelve.  Everything that happened before it—before I woke up in the hospital—as far as I know, they never existed..."

            Chihiro swallowed around a fist-sized lump that had formed in her throat.  Six years ago, the middle of August: that was when she'd tried to run away—at least, according to one of the two correlated memories in her head.  She'd gone to the tunnel, and in the constricting shadows, had met—Kohaku, as a dragon.

            There had to be a connection.  Did he remember?  Could he remember?

            "Kohaku," she said gently, carefully.  "Do you remember anything about what happened during the accident?"

            He looked up, searchingly, into her eyes before dropping his gaze and answering.  "...Only a little.  Just...strong emotions, and some random images.  I remember it was dark.  And..."  He frowned, briefly.  "I was, for some reason, telling myself not to look backwards as I walked.  And then there was a person dressed in white, and..."  He blinked.  "That's funny.  I was feeling very—protective—of that person, but I just remembered that.  I never realized it before.  After that..."

            Chihiro's heart was refusing to slow down.  "_Not to look backwards"—then he was at the tunnel after all.  And a person dressed in white—my t-shirt!  My oversized white sleeping shirt.  That was me, he saw me... ...Aw, he was protective of me!_—_Sternly reprimanding herself for falling in love all over again when she was supposed to be looking after Kohaku, Chihiro urged him forward gently.  "After that...?"_

            Below creased eyebrows, Kohaku's eyes were trained to the floor.  When he shook his head, the movement seemed labored, almost jerky.  "That's it.  Afterwards, I woke up at the hospital..."  His voice became strained.  "I only remember the white walls and the ceiling, and the tubes..."  He flinched.  His bangs fell over his eyes, hiding their expression.  "And the smell, and how..."  He clenched his teeth.  "...how much it...hurt..."

            He was shaking.  Frantic with worry and a sudden stab of guilt, Chihiro touched his shoulder.

            Kohaku's head jerked up with a sharp intake of breath.  For a split second, Chihiro stared into wild, terrified eyes: dark emerald surrounding dilated pupils—pupils that were oddly elongated in an almost reptilian way—

            Kohaku broke their eye contact, looking away and covering his face with his hand, panting slightly.  "I'm sorry..."

            Chihiro sat back down, hand clenched around her forgotten coffee.  Her mind was racing, stumbling, to patch the pieces together.  Six years ago in the tunnel, she had suddenly been stuck in the darkness—in the darkness!  Just like before, after the car crash!?—but he had appeared, and he...he had ripped open the darkness and saved her.  But he didn't remember it or anything about the Spirit World...but in the tunnel, she had encountered a brick wall.  How had Kohaku gotten through it?  Magic, it must have been magic—but by himself?  Maybe Zeniiba obaa-chan helped him.  Zeniiba, or Yubaaba—

            She froze.  Yubaaba would not have been happy about Kohaku leaving.

            More likely she'd be furious.  Kohaku was her only apprentice, and if there was one thing about the old woman that Chihiro had learned, it was that she hated to lose her possessions.  How hard had she tried to stop Kohaku from leaving?  Could she be trying to get him back even _now_?  She was a powerful sorceress; in all probability, she could reach him even in the human world—

            The car crash.  When he died—_was Yubaaba responsible for that!?_

            Amidst the sudden angry turn of her thoughts, Chihiro realized what she had to do.

            —Well, apart from tearing through the brick wall to the Majou no Sekai to make that old baba pay, of course—

            If Yubaaba _could harm him like that, if the truck incident had been her doing, then Kohaku was in serious, no, __lethal danger.  He had already died once.  Granted, Chihiro had managed to somehow save him—she hadn't yet figured out exactly how she'd done it—but that was no guarantee towards the future.  Especially since Chihiro suspected that she herself would have died in there had she not started reminiscing._

            And Kohaku...he seemed haunted, almost, that he couldn't remember his past.

            She had to tell him about the Majou no Sekai.  Even if he didn't believe her, she had to warn him—

            When it came down to it, he deserved to know.

            "Kohaku?"

            He swallowed, then resolutely, almost defiantly, looked her in the eye.  "Yeah?"

            Her coffee had gone cold.  She set it on the small bedside table with numb fingers.

            "If you don't mind, I would like to tell you a story.  And I ask you, please, listen to it..."

...Come on, did you really think I'd kill off Kohaku? ^_-

Hmm, I wonder why Kohaku's hair floats in the darkness thingy but Chihiro's tears still fall like normal...

Oh, that's right!  ^_^  What do all of you prefer, shorter chapters and quicker updates, or longer chapters and slower updates?  Please let me know ^_^

The specific movie they were watching in chapter 5 was Kaze no Tani no Naushikaa (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind), another one of the great Miyazaki Hayao's work!  As far as I know, it's the only movie to have an extensive manga version and involves caves ^_^;;  If I'm mistaken, please let me know ^^

I wonder how many people actually read my rants at the ends of these chapters...

I got so many reviews for the last chapter! =D  I wonder if it was the cliffhanger? ^_^;; In any case, thank you thank you to everyone! =D  These reviews made me really really really happy.  I hadn't checked for a few days or so, so when I finally got around to it, wow!  XD  People were starting to look at me funny because I was bouncing up and down a bit in my chair with this really giddy grin on my face.  Pff, last time I check my email in the library...

Review responses!  Whee!  Look for your name!

DizAznAngel – Don't go too hard on Yubaaba ^_-  I don't think she's completely evil...look at the way she looks after her son...and did you see the look on her face when Chihiro called her 'obaa-chan'!?  Truly priceless.  Thanks for reviewing!

Aria Zephyr – Eh...another cliffhanger. ^^;; The chapter was stretching out too long...Deepest apologies, and thank you for the review!

FluffyLuver4Eva – I'm so glad you liked the chapter! =D  About YYH, unfortunately, I don't have cable!!  ^_^;;  I'd be grateful for a website.  Thanks so much for reviewing.  Now, now, no strangling the bishounen male lead...^^;;

RayRay – I'm sorry!  I'm sorry!  I'm sorry!  gives RayRay a tissue But he's alive and better now, yes? ^^;;  Of course, except for his amnesia and current state of trauma...hehe...I was gonna make Kohaku's hair long at first, but I couldn't get it to fit my mental image of "Kohaku with a normal childhood."  So...-_-;; I'm not too good at this =P...But I loved your review! Thank you thank you! XD holds out hands for Pocky

silunifire – Cliffhangers abound. ^_^  Sorry I wasn't there on Saturday...I really hate weekend subway service...please don't torture my pencil and eraser ^^;;...and oi, leave my rabbit alone.  But thank you for reviewing ^_^

Anime Fan26 – Here's the update =)  I hope this answers a few questions, and doesn't pose too many more...^^;;  Thank you for your review.

LeilahBert – Miyazaki-san is a genius! XD  I'm happy you think my story is good.  And hopefully this chapter answers your question! =D  Thank you for reviewing!

Risa Rima – I'm so happy you read my fic out of the hundreds of other amazing Spirited Away fics out there!  Too short, sorry...cliffhanger, sorry...no update, sorry...forgive me? thank you! ^_^  And for reviewing, thank you again!!  And dreaming about Haku...ah, we've all got bits of fangirls in us...^_-

CheeseCake Special – Okay, please stand up ^^;;  Here's another chapter up!  I'm afraid it's another cliffhanger, sorry!  Thank you for your review!  Hmm, your pen name is making me hungry...cheesecake...drools....

Kalyana – I'm delighted that you're enjoying my story!  Truly, thank you so much for reading and for your kind reviews on so many of my chapters.  They make me so happy! ^_^  Thank you!

Melodylink – Yeah, I guess they do need some counciling...although it's kinda ironic and truly sad that my muse and my inspiration have more of a social life than me, hehe.  Here's the answer to the old cliffhanger, and a new one to present!  Aah!  Lol.  And I agree with you about his name ^_^  'Haku' sounds so abrupt...but 'Kohaku' is nice ^^  Thank you for reviewing!

Fhulhi the Crazy – Nya!  Thank you for reviewing so many times! _  Your reviews make me want to keep writing nonstop ^_^  Too bad I also have to eat and sleep...=P  I'm sorry you think me evil, but I'm so happy you think me awesome! =:D  Here's an extra-long chapter, please enjoy!

me, the invisible chainsaw massacre-er – Er, with a name like yours I don't think I'll be giving up this fic anytime soon ^^;;  Thank for your review!

YueMichiruNaragisawaMiko – gives a tissue Don't cry!  ^_^;;  The one who planned the car crash was Yubaaba.  I hope my writing isn't too confusing at times ^^;;  I'm really glad you like the story.  Here's the next chapter, and thank you for reviewing!

Stargirl-rebels – Your review really made my day!  Lol, your enthusiasm is wonderful.  Yup, she saves him! _  Isn't it a great movie!?  I'm really really happy you like my fic! =D  Thank you thank you for your review, it brings a smile to my face whenever I see it ^_^  I hope you enjoy the future chapters!

bakagrl79 – Isn't it cool how stories can have similar beginnings but take so different turns?  ^_^  I'm glad you enjoyed my fic, and thank you for reviewing!

Cute But Psycho – Lol, your pen name's hilarious...a friend of mine has a t-shirt with that on it.  I'm happy you like my story (favorites?? Waaai!! ^_^)!  Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I hope this makes up for it ^_-  Thank you for your review!

Goti-chan – I'm glad you like my story so much ^_^  Thank you for your interesting review ^_^  and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

wipes forehead Whew!  Really, thank you to everyone for reading my story.  These reviews make me feel so loved ^_^  Jaa...review onegaishimasu!  You see that little button below, right there, right?  Click it!  Click it!  ^_^

bows Minna, arigatou gozaimasu!!

*8/17: Revised this chapter ^_^  Some parts of it were just really really bothering me, so...^^;; gomen, gomen...Well, this entire thing would have been done a lot faster if it hadn't been for a little something we call a "blackout"...hrm...in any case...

Please review ^_^  Doumo arigatou gozaimasu!


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